Winter-Proofing Your Property: A Maintenance Checklist
6 min read · 22 November 2025
A boiler service before the cold weather sets in is the single most valuable maintenance visit of the year — a qualified engineer can catch a failing part while it's a simple fix rather than an emergency repair mid-January.
Exposed pipework in lofts, garages and outbuildings is the most common source of winter burst pipes. Lagging these before temperatures drop is inexpensive compared with the cost of a leak once the ground has frozen.
Check that outdoor taps are insulated or shut off at the internal stopcock, and that any external drainage is clear so meltwater has somewhere to go rather than pooling against the building.
Finally, walk the exterior for loose roof tiles, damaged fencing or overhanging branches — the kind of small issues that a winter storm turns into a much larger and more urgent repair.
